Hay-rack.



PATBNTED APR. 16, 1907. G. W. BAIRD.

HAY RACK. uruon'xon IILBD 001. 1a, 1906.

'nnirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed October 19, 1906. Serial No. 339.671.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. BAIRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Millersburg, in the county of Iowa and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Hay-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a hay-rack of simple, durable. and inexpensive construction designed to be used in connection with a hay-loader and so arranged that when the rear end of the hay-rack has been filled a sliding rear member may be moved to place the load upon the forward end of the rack, so that the space between the said sliding member and the rear of the rack may then be filled by the loader to thereby avoid the necessity of having an operator on top of the load to move the hay from the rear end of the rack to the front as it is fed thereto by the loader.

A further object is to provide a device of this class in which the sliding member may be securely locked at both limits of its movement and yet may be released when at its rearward. limit and moved forwardly by an operator on the drivers seat at the front of the hay-rack.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the complete hay-rack embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 shows a detail sectional view illustrating the track and roller and connected parts for the movable rack-section.

The stationary member of the hay-rack comprises a base and sides 11, which eX- tend the full length of the hay-rack. Above the sides 11 are the angle-bars 12 to form tracks for the sliding member, as wi11 hereinafter appear, A number of cross-pieces 13 are provided to extend from one side to the other. At the rear portion of the stationary member are two cross-pieces 14, which project beyond the sides 11., and on top of said cross-pieces, at each side of the rack, is a lon gitudinal platform-board 15. At the rear ends of these boards 1.5 are the stationary uprights16 with a cross-piece 17 at their tops. At the front of the stationary member is an upright support 18 with a drivers seat 19 thereon. Between the standards of the upright support 13 is a block 20 for purposes hereinafter made clear, and adjacent to said standard is a bracket 21, in which a vertical shaft 22 is rotatably mounted and provided with a crank-arm 23 at its top adjacent to the drivers seat.

The movable hay-rack member comprises a series of cross-pieces 24 with platformboards 25 thereon. Beneath the crosspieces 24 are two longitudinal bars 26, in which the shafts 27 are rotatably mounted. Near the ends of these shafts are the flangewheels 28, resting upon the angle-bars 1.2. On each end of each shaft 27 is an arm 29 to project downwardly and then inwardly under the angle-bar 12 to hold the flanged wheels close to the angle-bars. In this way the movable rack member is slidingly supported on the stationary rack member, and said movable rack member is preferably about one-half the length of the stationary rack member. Erected at the corners of the movable rack member are the uprights 30, and at the sides are the longitudinal rails 31, connected with the uprights 30. At the front are the transverse rails 32, connected with the uprights 30, and at the back is the angle transverse rail 33, connected with the uprights 30. The said rail 33 is preferably parallel with the rail 17 on the stationary member. At the center of the forward por tion of the movable rack member is an upright 34, having fixed to its lower portion a rope or cable 35, the forward end of which is fixed to and wound upon the shaft 22. Hinged to the bottom of the upright 34 is a pawl 36, arranged to engage and lock with the block 20 when the movable member is at its forward limit. Pivoted to one of the cross-pieces 13 is a locking-arm 37, designed in one position to incline rearwardly and engage the upright 34 and having attached to it a rope 38, the forward end of which is connected near the drivers seat, so that the driver may grasp the rope and pull the arm 37 to a forwardly-inclined position.

I have provided a brake device for retarding or holding the movable rack member in various positions relative to the stationary rack member as follows: 39 indicates a lever fulcrumed at 40 to one of the forward crossrails of the movable rack member. On its lower end. isa brake-shoe 41, designed to engage the outer face of one of the angle-bars 12, and near its upper end is a hook 42, de-

signed to enter the notches of a notched bar 43, secured to the top of the rail 32.

In practical use and assuming that the hay-rack is being advanced over a field and that a hay-loader is attached to the rear of the rack, then the operator continues the operation of the loader until the movable rack member is filled. Then he pulls upon the rope 38, thus removing the arm 37 from engagement with the movable rack member. He then operates the crank-arm 23 and winds up the rope 35 thus drawing the movable rack member to the front end of the stationary rack member. hen this point is reached, the pawl 36 will engage the block 20 and prevent the movable rack member from sliding toward, the rear of the stationary member. The brake-lever 39 is used by an operator on top of the load in case it is desirable to move the movable member while the hay-rack is being advanced over uneven ground. If, for instance, the hay-rack is be ing moved over a downward incline at the time it is desirable to shift the movable member toward the front, then the operator on top of the load grasps the lever, and the movable member will slide by gravity toward the front except as it is retarded by the friction brakef Furthermore, it is at times desirable to hold the movable member in different positions relative to the stationary one, and in such instances the brakelever may be set to position relative to the notched bar 43 to securely hold the movable member. After the movable member is fixed at its forward limit the hay-loader may continue to operate and to fill up the rear end of the stationary rack member.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, a movable rack member slidingly mounted on the stationary one, means for moving the movable rack member toward the front of the stationary rack member and a brake device carried by the movable rack member to engage the stationary rack member.

2. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, a movable rack member slidingly mounted upon the stationary one, a rope attached to the movable rack member, arope-winding device arranged near the front of the stationary rack member and having said rope attached thereto,

means for locking the movable member to the stationary one and a frlctlon brake de 'vice carried by the movable rack member.

3. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, a movable rack member slidingly mounted on the stationary one, means for moving the movable rack member toward the front of the stationary rack member, a brake device carried by the movable rack member to engage the stationary rack member, means for locking said movable rack member at its rearward limit and means for looking it at its forward limit. 4

4. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, longitudinal tracks thereon, a crank-shaft at the forward end thereof, a rope fixed to and wound upon said shaft, a movable rack member having flanged wheels resting on said tracks and also having said rope attached thereto, an arm hinged to the stationary rack member and capable of extending rearwardly to engage the movable rack member and also capable of swinging forwardly out of the path of the movable rack member, a rope fixed to said arm and extended to the front of the stationary rack member and a pawl hinged to the movable rack member to engage a part of the stationary rack member when the movable rack member is at its forward limit.

5. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, a movable rack member slidingly mounted thereon, a lever fulorumed to the movable rack member, a brake-shoe thereon to engage a part of the stationary rack member and a notched bar on the movable rack member to engage and hold said lever in different positions of adjustment.

6. In a hay-rack, the combination of a stationary rack member, and a stationary cross-rail above its rear end, angle-bars arranged longitudinally of the stationary member, a standard at the front of the stationary member, a crankshaft adjacent to the said standard, a rope fixed to and wound thereon, a hinged arm connected with the stationary member, a rope fixed thereto and extended to position adjacent to the said standard, a movable rack member comprising a platform, flanged wheels carried by the platform to rest upon the angle-bars, arms carried by the movable member to pass under the angle-bars, a board hinged to the forward portion of the movable rack member to engage a part of the stationary rack member, uprights on the movable rack member, horizontal rails supported by said uprights, a lever fulorumed to the movable rack member, a brake-shoe at its lower end to engage one of the anglebars, a hook near its upper end and a notched bar on the movable rack member to be engaged by said hook. CHARLES IV. BAIRD.

I/Vitnesses:

H. W. VINsON, GEORGE DANSDILL. 

